Memories and Other Unpleasantness
by OmenProphecy
Summary: Lenore Grey is part of a prestigious pureblood family. She is the youngest of three children. She is the only one that is given a choice- and refuses. This done, how does she keep her best friend from taking the wrong path?


Some days, the wind doesn't blow hard enough to show the village of Chertsey the house on the outskirts of town, but most days the wind brushed the trees aside, and all who looked south would shiver. It was a very large, very old, very beautiful house. It was called Grey Manor.

The only person that the people in town ever saw was the youngest. She was seven years old when they first recalled her, and the village watched the cheerful, beautiful little girl grow up. She was welcome in every house, and she played with every child. She could bring a smile to anyone's face. Lenore Grey was her name.

In the September after she turned eleven, Lenore disappeared. She'd been talking for weeks of attending a boarding school, so it didn't come as a surprise, but she was missed.

Only two people in Chertsey besides the Greys knew where she'd gone.

**_XxXxXxX_**

Lenore was ecstatic. She was on the Hogwarts Express, away from home- with her older brother next to her. That was the only part of this that Lenore wasn't thrilled with. As they were part of a pureblood family, Elijah was 'the boss' of his eleven-year-old sister, but neither of them were happy about it. Five minutes from then, Lenore knew, Elijah would get up and go to a different compartment.

_And good riddance,_ she thought.

Her prediction was correct. As a fourth year, Elijah had no desire to be seen with his baby sister. His baby sister had even less desire to be lectured by her older brother.

_Sit up straight, Lenore. For Merlin's sake, don't even _look _at that mudblood. What would Mother say if she saw you right now, bouncing in your seat? _But most of all: _Contain yourself, Lenore. _

Now alone in the compartment, Lenore relaxed enough to look around. She hopped out of her seat and did a jig, just because there was no one to tell her she could not. Feeling very silly, she sat back down on the worn leather seat.

It was a fairly cozy room, dimly lit where the sun wasn't shining in. The glass on the door and window was perfectly clear, with no dirt or fingerprints on it. The windows had long, purple curtains. There was a pattern of blue thread on them, making tiny squares. The rosy brown hardwood floor was almost as worn as the seats. The walls were bare of any decoration besides a plain teal wallpaper. Lenore's face was relaxed, and she was smiling.

Then the moment was ruined when her brother pulled the door open so hard the glass smashed. He wasn't angry, Lenore decided, looking at Elijah's expression. Just grumpy. Behind him were his 'connections', the people Lenore refused to call Elijah's friends, Lucius Malfoy, the Black sisters, the Lestrange brothers, and Augustus Rookwood.

"Hello!" Lenore said cheerfully. They all visited Grey Manor often during the holidays, so she didn't feel _too_ uncomfortable around them.

"My friends," Elijah growled, "wanted to see you."

Lenore was immediately suspicious, and her eyes showed it, though her smile was still planted firmly on her face.

Lucius casually pulled out his wand, and she stiffened. He waved the smooth little stick, and the glass flew back into the door.

Her brothers allies had never shown an interest in Lenore before. What was different? Lenore's mind raced, trying and failing to find a solution besides the only one she could think of- what she dubbed _the incident._ It sounded innocent, in the casual tone with which Lenore explained to her mother, but Lenore knew it was anything but _innocent._

_Lenore's cousin, Aria Grey, made her angry very often. It was a talent and hobby of Aria's, driving Lenore off the edge. That past summer, though, Aria went too far._

_Lenore only touched her, not hard at all, and Aria began to bleed. The dark droplets soaked into the dirt in the garden, and Lenore watched, horrified, as Aria screamed._

_Elijah and Lucius, who was visiting, came running, and stopped just in front of the two girls. The cold, proud smile that Lucius gave Lenore chilled her to the bone._

_"I'm sorry, Aria, I didn't mean to, I'm sorry..." Lenore said again and again, as she lay her hand on Aria's arm._

_Before Lenore, Elijah, and Lucius's stunned eyes, Aria's flesh knitted itself back together, leaving no scar. Aria was whimpering, and Elijah obviously didn't know what to say. Lucius patted Lenore on the back and went back inside._

From the looks Elijah's crowd was giving her, they knew about _the incident. _Lenore didn't like them having that kind of advantage over her. She kept on smiling, hoping she was wrong.


End file.
